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The Labyrinth
The Labyrinth, also known as The Labyrinth of Doom, was a subterranean domain located in the Taj-Nar Mountains. Infamous for its violent culture, the Labyrinth was a 'family' of fierce raiders bound together by their common bloodlust and indulgence. It was one of the longest lived domains on Verden before its literal collapse during the Battle of Olimandias. Creation Before written history, Lazu, the God of Chaos, was defeated and sealed away by Diel, the God of Order. While the 'body' of Lazu was trapped within a divine prison, his spirit found ways to leak back out into the mortal world. The points where his spirit escaped were tainted by his chaotic energy. The many tunnels and chambers of the Labyrinth were created by Lazu's power burrowing through the solid rock of the surrounding mountains - rather like a worm eating through an apple. The longest tunnels stretched for hundreds of miles, and the largest chambers could house an entire village. Lazu's energy had additional effects on any creatures that lived within the vast tunnel systems. Living things would become stronger, have more stamina, and live far longer than their overworld counterparts. The price to be paid for these enhancements was the loss of mental clarity and a sense of harmony. Lazu's chaotic influence increased primal emotions such as lust, violence, and rage. The future human inhabitants of the Labyrinth lived for centuries upon centuries and were imposing warriors, but most were insane or overly-indulgent. Members of the Labyrinth were most focused on the "joy" of battle and the ecstasy of subsequent celebrations. History As one of the longest lived domains, the Labyrinth has a rather extended history. The "lifespan" of the Labyrinth ranges from roughly 776 BDW to 5 ADW. The Brotherhood The first human settlers of the Labyrinth were criminals escaping from the nation of Unidiel. Attempting to avoid manhunters sent to recapture them, the criminals discovered a tunnel and went into the darkness below. Thoughts of avoiding capture were soon forgotten as the "call" of the Labyrinth urged them to explore the many tunnels and chambers. In a matter of hours, the chaotic air of the Labyrinth had corrupted their minds and a simple evasion became a lifetime commitment. Seeking violence more than ever before, these criminals became a band of fierce raiders that plagued the southern towns of Unidiel and the domain known as Kakariko Village. Mercenaries, outlaws, and other lowlifes were drawn to the underground and the ranks swelled in a matter of years. The men began to notice that they were not aging as they should have been. Convinced that the embrace of the Labyrinth was giving them additional power, they made it their permanent home. They named themselves "The Brotherhood of the Labyrinth" due to their exclusively male population. The first official ruler of the Labyrinth was a warrior known as Hakubi, who eventually gave his name to the longest of the Labyrinth's tunnels - The Hakubi Road - which stretched from the heart of the Labyrinth to the future location of Olimandias. After Hakubi's reign, power was passed to a man named Veteran, who defined 'cultured, orderly' evil. He was as happy drinking tea as he was tricking poor saps into handing over their gold. His good business sense and unusually clear mind gave the Labyrinth a sensible foundation. The later years of the Brotherhood were marked by the introduction of warriors adept at channeling Lazu's chaotic energies. These were men that had been in the Labyrinth since its foundation - fully corrupted by the god's power. They created a network of warp points within the tunnels, teleporting groups of people from one location to another in an instant. This rapidly increased the Labyrinth's response and attack times, giving them a clear advantage in local raids. Another artifact created by the old mages was the spear known as the Kanagida, which could help channel an individual's connection to chaotic power. The Queen Rises The era of the Brotherhood ended in 639 BDW when Chikara Nadir, a lone female, joined the ranks of the underground. Her past is a mystery, but the stories of her rise to power are well known. Her prowess on the battlefield and in the bedchambers won her the favor of nearly every member of the Labyrinth, who drooled over her every word and action. As the Labyrinth lacked a strict leader at the time, Chikara took advantage of her newfound influence and seized power. She was named "Queen of the Labyrinth" by the senior warriors, which turned the old Brotherhood into a monarchy. To show off her lust for battle, the Queen celebrated her ascension by destroying several border towns and conducting many successful raids on Village and Unidiel cities. Two years after her coronation, Chikara led the Labyrinth to war against their moral rivals, the Hall of Heroes. By masquerading herself and her elite troops as Hall knights, Chikara infiltrated their capital and assassinated their seniormost warrior, sending the Hall into a state of political turmoil. She subsequently spent her time raiding Hall outposts, poisoning their knights, and cutting off their important supply routes. The Hall countered by having a recruitment drive, and their forces met in a large battle at the foot of the Taj-Nar Mountains. Both sides took heavy losses, but Hall was eventually forced to retreat, allowing Chikara to claim victory. The Hall responded a few years later by attempting an assassination on Chikara whilst she was bathing, but she fought off her would-be attackers in little more than her birthday suit and killed all but one. Her successful campaign against the Hall forced her just and moral opponents into adopting a more hardlined stance against the Labyrinth. The military expansion of the Hall of Heroes, and the internal strife resulting from that decision, would eventually result in their civil war and collapse. While the Labyrinth endured heavy losses during Chikara's "Ascension War," they survived and carried on into the next era. The Desert War Folllowing the collapse of the Hall of Heroes and Kakariko Village, The Labyrinth entered a new era of domains fully intact and ready for battle. Their two new rivals - The Chamber of Sages and The Desert of Mystery - were formed from the survivors of the old domains and a large collection of new warriors. The more militant survivors of the Hall of Heroes relocated to the Desert of Mystery and plotted their revenge against the Labyrinth. After forty years of meticulously building up their armies, The Desert of Mystery began to openly skirmish with the Labyrinth. Most combat took place in the Innagos Desert to the west of the Labyrinth, which proved bothersome to warriors used to living underground and engaging in nighttime raids. A dedicated army of warriors led by Selena Nadir, Chikara's adopted daughter and apprentice, were responsible for offensive campaigns in the Desert. It was the first time in Labyrinth history that anyone had a tan. The war between the Desert of Mystery and the Labyrinth was more heated than the campaign against the Hall of Heroes, perhaps because the Hall had been concerned about upholding a moral code. The Desert was infinitely more aggressive and dedicated to war, giving the Labyrinth a suitable challenge on the battlefield. The two domains would clash over the sands of the Innagos for decades with no clear victor. In 514 BDW, the Desert was successful in destroying many Labyrinth tunnels, crippling their movement in the Innagos, and nearly managed to invade the underground fortress. They were repelled by Chikara's defensive armies and Selena's offensive ones, which returned from the north to drive off the attackers. Two years later, Selena lead a massive conquest into the Innagos Desert and captured their capital city, the Desert Oasis. When it became evident that Selena did not have the resources necessary to continue her occupation, she forced the Desert to raze their own city in an attempt to drive her away, then destroyed the bases she had captured on her initial push into the region. This marked a hiatus in the fighting between the Labyrinth and the Desert of Mystery, as the presence of the Chamber of Sages in the region interfered with the dedicated war. The Chamber of Sages sent mercenary mages into the Innagos to escort supplies between the nations of Roslen and Lanasach. The Desert of Mystery became preoccupied with fighting the national armies and the Sages, and the Labyrinth also took advantage of the intrusion by attacking Sage convoys. It was in one of these raids that Selena Nadir killed Rhiannon, a Sage warrior. Rhiannon would, oddly enough, later be resurrected by Selena and made her apprentice. In 110 BDW, over four hundred years after their rivalry began, the Desert of Mystery successfully poisoned the Labyrinth's water supply, resulting in the deaths of many veteran warriors. This reignites their old war, but after several more years of stalemate fighting, both domains throw in the towel and call it quits. Living In Secrecy Between 20 BDW and 10 BDW, a general named Khuffie crowned himself the ruler of Muldinach and, using the vast forces under his command, began to unite the central nations under one banner. Roslen, Uradiel, and Vanadiel fell quickly to his armies. Sornaiid and Lanasach followed. After all the nations were conquered and made part of his "Legends Alliance," Khuffie set his eyes on conquering the outlying domains. The Desert of Mystery, The Chamber of Sages, and the Labyrinth of Doom were soundly defeated in battle following years of warring amongst each other. The main complex of the Labyrinth was flooded by Khuffie's men, resulting in many lost lives. Selena and Chikara officially surrendered along with the other domain leaders. Both women were put on Khuffie's Tower of the Gods, his elite council, so that he could govern the domain territories through them. However, unbeknownst to Khuffie, Selena and Chikara had moved their survivors to a secondary underground tunnel complex several hundred miles to the east through the use of the Labyrinth's warp stones. The Labyrinth's continued existence was an absolute secret to all those not affiliated with the domain. While Chikara continued to serve in the Tower in order to maintain a close watch over Khuffie and his actions, Selena fled to the Innagos Desert to form a resistance against Khuffie's rule. She created the domain known as Ikana Canyon to combat the Alliance and restore domains to their former power. With Chikara having inside connections with the Alliance, and with Selena able to openly wage war using a new domain, the Labyrinth was able to recover and prepare for its next major assault. During this period, the rivalry between Selena and Chikara grew in strength, with Selena feeling as if Chikara was getting far too lazy and unambitious. The Labyrinth would lie dormant for several years until after the First Domain War and Second Domain War had been concluded. In 3 ADW, Selena decided that the Labyrinth was once again prepared for war. She led her soldiers to the city of Van'Duras and burned most of it to the ground as a way of letting Khuffie know that the Labyrinth was still alive and out to get him. However, her rivalry with Chikara had come to a head at this point, and Selena ordered the queen's assassination. The attempt failed and Labyrinth operations were halted when Chikara took half of their forces and fled to Olimandias, "swearing her allegiance to Khuffie" in an attempt to strike back at Selena. Destruction Selena would then go on to form a union between Ikana Canyon, The Forsaken Fortress, The Lost Woods, and the Labyrinth of Doom to prepare for an assault on Olimandias and Khuffie's palace. The union of the domains was successful in killing Khuffie and destroying his palace, liberating Verden from his reign. However, Selena faced off against Chikara in the Temple of Diel, and nothing would be the same after their duel was over. Chikara acknowledged that Selena was the superior ruler and took her own life. To save her from death, Keel made her the next avatar of Lazu, God of Chaos. Reborn with the powers of a god, Chikara destroyed Olimandias, all of the domains, and much of Verden. The Labyrinth was destroyed in a massive cave-in. There are rumors that some chambers survived the collapse, but none have been found. Culture and Structure Hierarchy The Labyrinth was a loose monarchy ruled by Queen Chikara Nadir, though Selena Nadir ruled as co-regent for several centuries. The "monarchy" was not one based upon bloodlines, as Chikara appointed warriors of the Labyrinth to the royal family if they were influential and important enough to warrant rulership. Toan Avinai was considered to be the Prince of the Labyrinth, though he was not a member of the royal family for very long before the invasion of Khuffie and the Legends Alliance. Wisp, another popular figure of the Labyrinth, was made into a countess and given considerable power over the domain. The only class lines within the Labyrinth was the one drawn between "royals" and "citizens," and even that was a weak barrier. The ruling class freely interacted with average warriors as equals, as all were considered brothers-in-arms within the Labyrinth. The military of the Labyrinth was arranged into several combat groups lead by designated commanders. Commanders were appointed by members of the royal family and could be demoted or promoted as necessary. Commanders were often 'naturally' chosen, as people would follow those with charisma and talent. The best warriors and the most capable leaders were often recognized immediately and officially given power. There were no formal ranks in the Labyrinth military. Only appointed leaders and warriors. All Labyrinth warriors were expertly trained in multiple facets of combat and could be used in a variety of situations. Each combat group was meant to be flexible and versatile, forming into hordes with ease and then separating out into smaller teams with no fuss. Lifestyle If a person was born inside the Labyrinth, they were taught to fight as soon as they could walk. Labyrinth children were used as "tyke bombs" to infiltrated enemy lines and assassinate key figures, as children were not considered threats and no moral adult would consider harming one under normal circumstances. A child's success at the role of tiny assassin would determine their influence in the adult armed forces. The best assassins would often become leaders in the real military. Leadership preference was given to lifetime members of the Labyrinth over members that joined later, though combat ability was still the ultimate decider. Others joined the Labyrinth later in life as immigrants from other nations of domains. If they could survive a combat initiation, then they would be accepted into the ranks. In either case, standard military service began at the age of fifteen. Warriors enjoyed the rush of battle and the sight of blood. They did not fight out of necessity, but out of desire. The Labyrinth was known for picking nonsensical fights for the sake of picking fights. After a battle, the warriors would often return home to enjoy each other's "private company" or indulge in drink. Most of the Labyrinth's goods were stolen from external sources, as the underground had no resources of its own beyond water, so raiding became the equivalent of "shopping." As members of the Labyrinth live on for centuries and often stay within the same combat group for their entire lifetime, they are all very close to one another. The Labyrinth has been described as a "family," and, while other orderly domains were plagued by internal strife, The Labyrinth was strongly united for most of its existence. There were seldom any actual disputes and all warriors could come together to fight for a cause in a matter of hours when recruitment of that type could take months in another domain. There were no genuine laws within the Labyrinth save for unspoken guidelines. You were free to kill another warrior if you were upset for some reason. If that warrior were worth keeping around, he wouldn't have lost the duel. It was a rough way to live, but some sort of order was created out of the chaos, as the Labyrinth was never so dysfunctional that it was threatened with collapse (apart from that cave-in business). Important Persons Chikara Nadir: Queen and ruler. Selena Nadir: Co-regent and heir to the throne. Wisp: Countess and ruler. Toan Avinai: Honorary Prince of the Labyrinth, despite having his formal allegiance to the Desert of Mystery. Veteran: Early ruler. Hakubi: First official ruler. Keel: Was a member for some time under the name "Miatch." Khallos: Senior warrior Synile: Champion of the Labyrinth of Doom Jinn: The infamous trickster Category:Domains Category:History: Domains Category:Geography: Nations Category:Geography: Domains